Losing the Call to the Fall
Mark Driscoll. Ravi Zacharias. Carl Lentz. Aaron Ivey. Now, Reggie Joiner. And this is only a few mega church and organizational leadership personnel that have fallen from grace. For every one of these, there are more pastors in smaller and rural areas that have found themselves floundering in moral failure.
Christianity Today noted in a recent article that fewer than a third of Americans consider clergy honest and ethical. Most reported believing in the moral standards of nurses and police officers more than religious leadership. In fact, a Gallup poll reported that pastors’ reputations continue to decline and more individuals are leaving the church because of the inability to trust the leadership.
This is heartbreaking.
It is heartbreaking for the pastors and leadership. It is heartbreaking for their congregations and teams. It is heartbreaking for their families.
It is heartbreaking for the kingdom of God.
I do not write this to slam religious leadership or their moral failures or to dismiss the good they have done. I write this because it hurts to watch anyone fall. No pastor goes into ministry hoping to fall. Carey Nieuwhof states, “Most pastors who fail morally didn’t begin ministry hoping to one day lose their soul.” The fall came with small choices that led them to lose sight of their call.
Why does Religious Leadership Fall?
Pastors, religious leaders, leadership of religious institutions are no different than you and me. While they are expected to live to a higher standard, they still struggle with the same sin and desires of the flesh as you and me. They are not super-human. They can fall as much as anyone else. However, they may forget this as they become comfortable in their roll of leadership.
Romans 12:3 conveys, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (emphasis mine). When religious leadership becomes comfortable or prideful in their roll, they are thinking more highly of themselves than they ought. This may appear in one of the most dangerous beliefs in our world: “I would never do that.” When people begin to think it cannot happen to them, they miss the sober judgment they need to adhere to the measure of faith God has assigned.
Remember that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 4:8). If anyone in leadership becomes deaf to the roar and blind to the traps set, he or she is facing the possibility of a fall. And for religious leadership, the fall could mean the end of the call. One in four pastors believe withdrawing permanently from ministry after a moral failure is the best option (Lifeway Research).
But God is redeemer and what the enemy may have meant for harm, God can use for good to share his love, hope, and peace. This is my story. It may be yours too. And through restoration healing for the fallen can happen.
What can We do to Help the Fallen?
1) No judgment
People in leadership who have fallen are already being judged. What is our judgment going to do for them? Shame them more. Additionally, when I judge the sins of another, I am being prideful. I am believing that I am not capable of that sin, so I can judge another for it.
However, Matthew 7:1-2 is clear, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Before we judge someone else we need to ask ourselves if we are ready to receive our own judgement. It simply is best to “leave the judgin’ to Jesus.”
2) Prayer
The first “fall” I remember hearing about was Michael English. He won six Dove awards and the next day returned them after sharing his moral failure. I was so angry. I loved his music and was ministered to greatly by it. However, his failure crushed me. Why? Because I put too much emphasis on a man. I put him on a pedestal rather than recognizing his humanity. I judged him hard. And, unfortunately, did not pray for his restoration.
Thank goodness his restoration did not depend on my prayers. I learned from that experience as well as my own fall that praying for those in leadership is a battle cry every person should be praying. Clergy and other religious leadership are daily faced with hardships that we cannot even fathom. We need to be praying NOW for them, not just when there is a fall.
It would benefit our leadership if we would pray Ephesians 6:10-18 for them and over them daily. They devil does not give us a break from his schemes. He is always scheming. Therefore, we must be prepared. However, we cannot be the only ones praying. Leadership needs to pray this over themselves as well. Again, it is important for all to understand that we are not above sinning.
3) Create space for grace
It is easy to become angered at someone whom we trusted to lead us and is now a fallen soldier. And we may have every right to be angry. Often congregations are shaken to the core because of the leaderships’ decisions. The congregation needs space to grieve. However, how we are also responsilbe to help those who have fallen find healing.
Healing may not look like restoring the individuals back to leadership. Yet, we need to do something to help them find the healing they need. Are other staff helping them find counseling? Are they ministering to those impacted by the individual’s indiscretions? Are they available and willing to minister to the family of the fallen?
Offering grace does not mean we condone a behavior or return the person to leadership. It means we offer opportunity for hope and healing. And, is that not what God calls us to do, to love our neighbor as ourselves…even the fallen (Matthew 22:39)?
4) Be real
With the remainder of leadership, it is important for them to be honest with their congregation as soon as possible. This is not a time to throw people under the proverbial bus. It is a time to be clear and concise with the congregation so that healing can move forward.
The longer staff persons try to “hide” the offense, the more difficult it will be for the congregation to heal. Additionally, minimizing the offense or damage can result in even more hurt. Be real, and be kind. Be real, and be compassionate. Be real, and be forgiving. Remember, we are saved by grace “this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
Final Thoughts
It will never be satisfying to watch God’s children fall. It is heartwrenching. However, when the fall happens, whether in our congregation or somewhere else, we can offer prayer and grace instead of judgment. We can also be real with ourselves and congregations to help them move forward together in healing. In doing so, we live out loving our neighbor as ourselves and showing the love of Christ to all of God’s children.
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